About Dr. Jahan
Dr. Thierry Jahan received his medical training in Washington before joining the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. He dedicated three decades of his career to treating patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. In 1994, alongside Dr. David Jablons, he co-founded and developed the Thoracic Oncology Program at UCSF.
As the principal investigator on several clinical trials, Dr. Jahan continually stays informed of promising new mesothelioma treatments and improved versions of existing ones.
In 2016, he was inducted into the UCSF Department of Medicine’s Council of Master Clinicians, described by the university as a “select group of outstanding physicians with exceptional knowledge, superior teaching and communication skills, and the ability to provide compassionate, appropriate, effective, and high-quality patient care.”
Dr. Jahan was in high demand as a mesothelioma specialist before his retirement in 2021. He also served as a professor of medicine at UCSF.
Dr. Jahan’s Career Highlights
Dr. Jahan is well-known for many accomplishments:
- Co-founded the UCSF Thoracic Oncology Program
- Inducted into UCSF Department of Medicine’s Council of Master Clinicians
- Researched new treatments and combinations as principal investigator on clinical trials
- Treated pleural mesothelioma patients through a multimodal approach
Dr. Jahan’s Background
Dr. Jahan has lived in France, the United States, and Venezuela. His inspiration to pursue oncology was realized at the age of 8 when he watched his mother recover from a serious illness.
“As an eight-year-old, I said, ‘I want to do what those doctors do: I want to give another kid his mom back.'”
The motivation to help others followed Dr. Jahan into adulthood. He began his medical education at Université de Paris V-René Descartes before transferring to the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York.
He earned his medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine. From there, Dr. Jahan moved to California to complete an internal medicine residency at UCLA Department of Medicine Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Jahan joined UCSF in 1994. Along with a fellow surgeon, he co-founded the UCSF Thoracic Oncology Program and developed it into one of the top programs of its kind in the world.
In addition to providing surgical options, the program operates a medical research center that runs clinical trials and offers promising new treatments to mesothelioma patients.
Dr. Jahan’s Medical Specializations
Dr. Jahan is a board-certified medical oncologist who specializes in thoracic cancers, including pleural mesothelioma.
“[At UCSF] we offer solutions and possibilities. I tell patients, ‘This is what the average patient can expect, but I’m shooting for the good side of the bell curve.’ I empower them to make decisions about how they want to face their disease.”
When working with mesothelioma patients, Dr. Jahan considered each case individually to suggest an optimal treatment plan that unique to each person. He was well known for treating pleural mesothelioma in a multimodal approach that combined surgery with chemotherapy, radiation, and any other possible options.
Some of these treatment suggestions arise from the groundbreaking clinical trials and medical research undertaken by the medical oncology group previously led by Dr. Jahan. He also investigated different combinations of mesothelioma treatments to determine which combinations worked best in different scenarios.
Dr. Jahan’s Career Accomplishments
Before his retirement, Dr. Jahan treated pleural mesothelioma patients from all around the world. His multimodal treatments were proven successful in extending patients’ lives and reducing painful mesothelioma symptoms.
As a principal investigator of various clinical trials, Dr. Jahan continually pursued new information about groundbreaking treatment options and combinations that may work better for certain patients.
His namesake award — the Dr. Thierry Jahan “A Breath Away from the Cure” Award — recognizes excellence in oncology.
Awards & Honors
Dr. Jahan’s awards and honors include:
- Council of Master Clinicians – UCSF Medical Center
- Friend of the Palliative Care Service Award – UCSF Medical Center
- Hematology/Oncology Fellow – UCSF
- Kennamer Fellow in Internal Medicine – UCLA
- Medical House Staff Outstanding Teacher Award – UCSF Medical Center
Dr. Jahan’s Current Work
With more than 30 years of service in the field of medicine, Dr. Jahan’s work at UCSF included:
- Leading the Thoracic Oncology Program’s medical oncology group
- Overseeing clinical trials as principal investigator
Notable Work by Dr. Jahan
As a well-respected medical researcher and oncologist, Dr. Jahan contributed to more than 50 journal articles and book chapters.
He was a trusted media contact for newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and television networks airing content about mesothelioma and other thoracic cancers. Publications such as Time magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle have interviewed Dr. Jahan in order to capture his expert perspectives.
Dr. Jahan’s Commitment to Compassion
Dr. Jahan is well-regarded for the empathy he demonstrates to his patients while they seek treatment, especially since he lost his father to mesothelioma.
“That experience was painful but extraordinarily informative. I have a pretty good idea of what patients and families go through, and it helped shape how I do things.”
Dr. Jahan’s commitment to compassion was just one aspect of his multimodal treatment approach. By delivering promising news that medical advancements ould allow patients to “live longer, live better,” his patients were able to go through their treatment with a sense of hope.
